Doug Geed, News 12 anchor in Long Island, left, and Lawrence Levy, executive dean of the National Center for Suburban Studies at Hofstra University converse before the state budget address on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2014, at The Egg in Albany, N.Y. (Cindy Schultz / Times Union) less

Doug Geed, News 12 anchor in Long Island, left, and Lawrence Levy, executive dean of the National Center for Suburban Studies at Hofstra University converse before the state budget address on Tuesday, Jan. 21, ... more

Ted Blazer, president and CEO of the Olympic Regional Development Authority, left, and John Howard, Gov. Cuomo's staff member, right, converse before the state budget address on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2014, at The Egg in Albany, N.Y. (Cindy Schultz / Times Union) less

Ted Blazer, president and CEO of the Olympic Regional Development Authority, left, and John Howard, Gov. Cuomo's staff member, right, converse before the state budget address on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2014, at The ... more

Sen. Andrea Stewart-Cousins, left, Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, center, and his staff member Shawn Thompson converse before the state budget address on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2014, at The Egg in Albany, N.Y. (Cindy Schultz / Times Union) less

Sen. Andrea Stewart-Cousins, left, Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, center, and his staff member Shawn Thompson converse before the state budget address on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2014, at The Egg in Albany, N.Y. (Cindy ... more

• Major elements: Cuomo's plan to freeze local property taxes for two years would make homeowners' second rebate check conditional on their local governments taking steps to consolidate services. For the first time Tuesday, Cuomo defined the required extent of that cooperation: In the first year, governments and school districts will need to work together to find savings equivalent to 1 percent of their tax levies, rising to 2 percent in the second year and 3 percent in the third. Local governments would be required to apply those savings to tax relief, and could face forfeiting state aid if they don't stick to their plans.

The budget maintains $715 million in Aid and Incentives for Municipalities funding. All four of the largest cities in the Capital Region would receive the same amount of AIM funding in the next fiscal year: Albany, $12.6 million; Schenectady, $11.2 million; Troy, $12.3 million; Saratoga Springs, $1.6 million.

• Reaction: "In three short years, Gov. Cuomo broke through Albany's decades of gridlock and is continuing to build on that success in 2014. I applaud the governor's proposal," said Troy Mayor Lou Rosamilia.

SCHOOLS

• Major elements: Total education spending would rise to $21.9 billion, an increase of $807 million (3.8 percent) — including $682 million in additional formula-based school aid.

The plan offers $100 million to begin offering universal pre-K statewide — the first installment of a five-year, $1.5 billion effort. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio would like to see universal pre-K paid for through a tax increase on the wealthy — an idea that has gotten a cool response from Cuomo.

A new $20 million "Teacher Excellence Fund" would provide performance bonuses of up to $20,000 per year to teachers rated as "highly effective."

Cuomo also is proposing a $2 billion bond act — to be considered by voters in November — that would be used to improve technology in classrooms and fund school infrastructure improvements, including facilities for universal pre-K.

The governor announced he and the Legislature would convene a panel to examine the controversial implementation of the Common Core standards.

• Reaction: In a joint statement, Board of Regents ChancellorMerryl Tisch and state Education Commissioner John King praised Cuomo's commitment to pre-K funding and said the Common Core panel and its own similar body "can be useful vehicles to continue to strengthen ... implementation."

Progressive education advocates were less enamored: Billy Easton, executive director of the Alliance for Quality Education, said Cuomo's pre-K proposal "just does not add up. ... After five years we will be lucky if it covers even 20 percent of the state's 225,000 4-year-olds."

The proposal sets aside $65 million to pay for the linking of the state's regional medical records databases, and the creation of an interface that will allow state residents to access their own records. The state investment is expected to be augmented by $30 million in federal dollars.

Cuomo is proposing a new $1.2 billion program to help fund infrastructure improvements for health care providers, including nursing homes, hospitals and clinics.

• Major elements: Cuomo proposes changes a brownfield cleanup program to reduce hundreds of millions of dollars in tax credits that the state has been paying developers to build on polluted sites. Credits will remain for cleanups, but will be limited for rebuilding at sites that have been vacant for at least a decade, are worth less than cleanup costs or are a state "priority" development. The program also will be extended from 2015 to 2025.

The plan would increase the Environmental Protection Fund from $153 million to $157 million ($14 million for solid waste programs, $58 million for parks and recreation, $85 million for open space programs).

• Reaction:Pete Iwanowicz, executive director of Environmental Advocates, praised the brownfields program reforms but said "the fund's overall budget remains roughly half what it once was ... and should receive $200 million in funding this year."

HIGHER EDUCATION

• Major elements: State support for the SUNY system remains flat at $3.3 billion.

A new scholarship program would pay for a SUNY or CUNY education for students in the top 10 percent of their high school class if they enter science, technology, engineering or math fields and agree to stay in New York for five years.

• Reaction: SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher called the plan "a thoughtful stewardship of state funds for initiatives and reforms that address the diverse needs of nearly all New Yorkers."

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT/TAXES

• Major elements: Businesses would see a range of tax breaks, including a corporate income tax rate for upstate manufacturers of zero (costing $24 million).

Businesses would also reap a tax benefit from the speeded-up phaseout of the 18-A assessment on utility bills, which is slated to cost the state $200 million.

• Reaction: "I'm pleased to see the governor is looking to reduce the corporate tax rate to help make New York more competitive," said Mark Eagan, president and CEO of the Albany-Colonie Chamber of Commerce. "We're No. 1 on most lists of the most expensive states in which to do business. Last year, START-UP NY was geared to attract new business to the state. This year, existing businesses will be pleased to see some relief."

Progressive advocates object to what Michael Kink of the Strong Economy for All Coalition call "unfair and unneeded tax breaks will make inequality worse."

ETHICS

• Major elements: Cuomo proposed creating a system that would use public funds to match small-donor political contributions up to $175 to political candidates who opt in, but he didn't assign a cost to it. The system, which is opposed by Senate Republicans, would go into effect for legislators in 2016 and all candidates for state office in 2018.

Cuomo sets aside $5.3 million to hire additional enforcement staff for the Board of Elections, and proposes the creation of an Independent Division of Election Law Enforcement within the board — but overseen by a chief enforcement officer appointed by the governor.

While not a budgetary concern, the plan would limit contributions to party "housekeeping" accounts and close the LLC loophole that allows wealthy donors to multiply their giving.

Similarly, the budget includes a host of changes to laws covering the prosecution of bribery and other acts of public corruption; increases disclosure requirements for lawmakers who work for firms that have clients with business before the state.

• Reaction: The League of Women Voters said the proposal "demonstrates a vital commitment to addressing the culture of corruption that has plagued the Capitol for too many years."

State Sen. Kathy Marchione, R-Halfmoon, said she remains opposed to "spending millions on welfare for politicians in the form of taxpayer-financed political campaigns."

PUBLIC SAFETY

• Major elements: Cuomo seeks to use $15 million in federal funds for Superstorm Sandy recovery to support the initial work on a state-of-the-art weather detection system that would increase the number of monitoring stations from 27 to more than 100. Only five other states have such networks in place.

It also includes another $75 million to help counties create communication networks to allow disparate agencies to more seamlessly talk to each other.

Cuomo proposes investing $10 million in the New York State Protection Cloud — technology that will allow state and local law enforcement agencies more quickly share crime-fighting information.

The governor also proposes $15.2 million for Gun-Involved Violence Elimination, a program targeted at high-crime upstate communities already receiving funding through Operation IMPACT.

As in past years, the budge proposes $24 million in capital funding for economic development grants to communities affected by four planned prison closures.